Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's guilt.

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Introduction

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's guilt Macbeth is a very exciting story containing all kinds of plots and murders. The characters that are killing and are planning murders are all very deceiving and treacherous. Two of the most dangerous criminals in this play are Lady Macbeth and her husband. Together they commit the most dreadful murder by killing the King; Duncan. This is why it is difficult to determine which one of these two is more guilty, because they each do their own part in committing the crime. Lady Macbeth would prepare the plan and then encourage Macbeth to go through with it. Macbeth did the actual murdering, he was also the first person who thought about killing Duncan. Furthermore he did some killing on his own. Lady Macbeth did not have any involvement in these cases. Based on these facts, Macbeth would be found more guilty than Lady Macbeth. The very first murder in this story was committed on Duncan. This crime was planned by both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The actual murder was done by Macbeth, making him more guilty of the crime. Lady Macbeth just talked about committing the crime, but she never actually went through with it nor would she ever, and that is all that counts. Talking about committing the incident is very different from actually doing it. ...read more.

Middle

However, it was Lady Macbeth who convinced him to slay the king so that he could usurp the throne: "Hie thee hither, / That I may pour my spirits in thine ear". So we can say that Lady Macbeth has more responsibility on Duncan's murder than Macbeth himself as she used her position as a wife and a woman to induce his husband to the sin. She knew the "adoration" Macbeth had for her ("My dearest love" referring to Lady Macbeth) and used her status of woman to judge Macbeth a coward if he didn't kill Duncan. Even though Macbeth holds some blame for not being the strong, valiant man he is on battle with her wife and standing before those childish yet effective arguments she used, Lady Macbeth is the immediate cause for Macbeth's actions. Nonetheless we must do the same with Lady Macbeth as we did for his husband, look at the causes for her actions. When we meet Lady Macbeth after she finishes reading Macbeth's letter we know immediately that she is determined to be the queen of Scotland ("Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be / What thou art promised.") So at the same time the cause for Macbeth's action of killing the king was caused directly by Lady Macbeth, the reason for her wish is because of Macbeth. ...read more.

Conclusion

Finally, one last culpable for Duncan's death is Duncan himself. His own blind trust in the members of his court even though one of them had all ready betrayed him is what doomed him. Ironically when Duncan refers to the original Thane of Cawdor after he was told of his execution: "There's no art / To find the mind's construction in the face: / He was a gentleman on whom I built / An absolute trust", he is unconsciously referring to other Thane of Cawdor as well, this is, Macbeth, as if this was what he would have said after his own murder. The crucial mistake Duncan made was to trust "the same person" twice, the Thane of Cawdor. This fault was fatal as it proved to be later on. In conclusion we can say that the witches are the main individuals to blame for the regicide as they started the series of events that eventually lead to the death of King Duncan by hand of Macbeth, induced by her wife who was blinded by her thirst for power. In addition Duncan is also responsible for his own decease for he wasn't able to learn from his previous error of trusting the Thane of Cawdor who finds the avengement of his death when Macbeth takes the life of his executioner by decree. ...read more.

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